


Reunion

by craterdweller



Category: MacGyver (TV 1985), The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, F/M, Post-Season/Series Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-08 04:09:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14096880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/craterdweller/pseuds/craterdweller
Summary: MacGyver and Dana Scully haven't seen each other in far too long.





	Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> AU-Fusion prompt for trope_bingo:  
> MacGyver and Scully first met at a conference where she presented her paper on Einstein's Twin Paradoxes. MacGyver would have been working at the Phoenix Foundation and Dana would have been around 23 at the time of their first meeting. This story takes place in the present day.
> 
> GYWO Yahtzee prompt: kiddie slide/playground image
> 
> MonthlySuperGo Prompt: MacGyver and Scully haven't seen each other in far too long

Special Agent Dana Scully chose an empty bench across from the kiddie slide and monkey bars. She knew it was a bit morose, arranging to meet Mulder at the playground with their complicated history, but she was feeling a bit down today. And despite what Mulder thought, watching small children happy at play always lifted her spirits, even if she had missed such moments with their son William. Dana watched a little girl, maybe five or six years old, throw her arms around the knees of a tall man with silver hair.

“Granpappy, did you see? I slid all by myself!”

The man bent down and scooped her up, balancing her on his right hip as he pulled a few stray leaves from her blonde curls. “I did, baby.”

“I’m not a baby! I’m five!”

“Not until tomorrow,” he teased.

Dana chuckled as the little girl’s lower lip protruded in a pout worthy of a Hollywood actress.

She heard the man laugh as he tapped the child on the nose before setting her back down on the ground. When he shook his head, he reminded Dana of someone she knew a long time ago. “You’re too big for this old man to carry around everywhere.”

“You’re not old, Granpappy!”

“Katie!” A woman in her early thirties, approached the pair, kissing the older man on the cheek. “Sorry, about that. She must get that from Sam.”

The man chuckled. “I wonder where Sam gets it? Certainly not from his old man.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to join us? My parents would be glad to have you.”

“Yeah. Grandma Alice and Grandpa Bob won’t mind.” Little Katie turned hopeful eyes to him.

“I know, honey. But I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You won’t forget?” Her bottom lip quivered uncertainly.

“How could I forget my best girl’s birthday?” He reached over and zipped up her windbreaker.

Katie’s mother took the little girl by the hand and led the reluctant child towards the other side of the park. As he stood watching them go, Dana couldn’t help but admire how well his jeans stretched snugly over a nicely shaped ass.

“Scully, are you checking out that old guy’s ass?”

“Mulder!” Dana turned to see the smug look on her partner’s face. She had been so engrossed she had been unaware that he had snuck up behind her and leaned over her shoulder.

“Dana?”

Katie’s grandfather had turned around, and Dana found herself face to face with someone she hadn’t seen in years. “MacGyver? I didn’t recognize you.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “It’s been a long time.”

He ran a hand through his hair before patting his stomach. “Yes, but the years have been much kinder to one of us. You look as beautiful as ever.”

Mulder cleared his throat causing Dana to blush. “Forgive my manners. This is my partner, Fox Mulder. Mulder, this is MacGyver. We met at a conference in the late eighties.”

“Just MacGyver? So you’re a medical doctor?”

MacGyver shook Mulder’s hand, but his eyes remained focused on Dana. Like he was worried she would disappear if he looked away for a second. “No. It was a physics symposium. Dana gave a brilliant presentation on Einstein’s twin paradoxes.”

Dana watched the huge grin spread across her partner’s face. Mulder used to love to tease her about that paper, but he had dropped it years ago. She braced herself for a whole new round of jokes.

Mulder’s cell phone chirped at an incoming text. “Excuse me, Mr. MacGyver, but I have to take this. It’s about a case.” He smirked as he retreated a few steps away.

_Oh yes, she was never going to hear the end of this._ _I’d better take advantage of this time alone to catch up with my friend._ “Katie is adorable. Do you live around here?”

“She’s a sweetheart. But no, I’m only here for her birthday. My flight back to Colorado leaves on Sunday.”

“Are you free for dinner?” Engrossed with his phone, Mulder waved the two of them off.

❖

Dana put down her fork, pleased to note that Mac had finished everything on his plate. Her busy schedule didn’t often allow her time to cook, so she had been a bit nervous. “You didn’t want to have dinner with the other grandparents?”

“It’s complicated.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t …”

MacGyver sighed. “No. It’s okay. I didn’t find out I had a son until Sam was fully grown. My daughter-in-law’s folks like to throw out these little digs. Normally, I can ignore them, but this weekend should be all about Katie. It’s not every year a little girl turns five.”

Dana smiled sadly. It seemed she and MacGyver had something in common—regrets.

“What about you? How long have you and Fox?” He made a funny motion with his arm.

It was her turn to smile. “It’s complicated.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“The FBI recruited me right out of med school. I spent a couple of years working for the Violent Crimes division before being reassigned to Mulder’s department, the X-Files.” She waited for the inevitable pun.

“You study the paranormal? I never pegged you as a believer.”

‘I’m not!” She began clearing plates. “But there are some things science can’t explain. Wait. How do you know about the X-Files?”

“Dana, I’m sorry. I wasn’t judging. When we met, I worked for the Phoenix Foundation. Did quite a few jobs for government agencies.” He stepped close but didn’t touch. His eyes asked the question they had both danced around all evening.

Her curiosity over what had happened to him during the intervening years could wait. Right now, she had other things on her mind. She pulled him down for a kiss.

He cupped her head, tilting his own for a better angle which he used to explore her mouth thoroughly.

She squeaked as he dipped her back, but his arms cradled her securely as he deepened the kiss. She wrapped her left arm around his neck while her right hand worked on the buttons of his oxford shirt. She growled in frustration when she encountered another layer between her and his bare skin. Tugging him by his unbuttoned shirt, she led him down the short hallway and into the master bedroom.

❖

“Dana, are you sure?” He seemed hesitant, unlike during their first encounter thirty years ago.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, for one, there’s a bit more of me.” He tugged the hem of his t-shirt from where it covered a thicker waistline. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. Instead, he focused on the framed photo of her and Mulder that was on the nightstand.

She brushed his hands away and started raising his t-shirt over his head. “Don’t care. You’re a damn sexy man.”

_She nudged him towards the king-sized bed until his calves bumped the side. A slight push from her was all it took to tumble them onto the down-filled comforter. Straddling his waist, she stared into eyes that had turned a molten brown. “Tell me you don’t want this and I’ll stop.” She leaned forward, kissing him senseless as she urged him towards the center of the bed. She removed his t-shirt as they scooted towards the pillows and used it to bind his hands over his head._

“Dana?”

She shivered, his voice breaking her fantasy. For a moment, he had sounded like Mulder.

Prying her fingers from their viselike grip on his shirt, he led her back to the kitchen, where he redressed.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” She placed a hand on his arm, stopping him as he gathered his coat. “I, uh, maybe if we sat for a few minutes, we could try again?”

“Dana, you have no reason to apologize. I ate a lovely dinner and caught up with an old friend.”

“Old.” She grimaced.

Mac rolled his eyes. “That sounded better in my head. Dana, you’re extraordinary. I knew that the moment I met you.” He lifted her chin so she could see the truth of his words.

“I tried to call you. But you just disappeared.”

Mac shoved his hands into his front pockets. “I ran into some trouble on assignment. It was over a month before I made it back.” His eyes darkened at the memory. “I lost someone close to me. I didn’t—couldn’t put anyone else in danger.”

“It took me a long time to get over you.” She smiled to take the bite out of her words. “I couldn’t decide if I should be angry or thankful.” Her hand absently went to the gold cross she wore around her neck.

“I’m sorry.”

She chuckled. “No. No. It was some of the best sex I’ve ever had. I think that’s why tonight I …” She cocked her head towards the bedroom. “I wanted to prove that I was no longer the inexperienced girl that just laid there while you did all the work.”

His eyes widened at her confession. He covered the hand that rested on the table with his own. “You thought that was why I didn’t call?”

Her cheeks tinged pink. “It had crossed my mind.”

He stood and held open his arms, enveloping her in a friendly, but a non-sexual hug. “Dana…”

She put a finger to his lips. “No, don’t say anything. I’ll drive you back to your car.” She gave him a chaste kiss before disappearing down the hallway to retrieve her purse.

Her cell phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. A missed call from Mulder. He memorized the number; an idea formed in his head.

❖

After she dropped him back at the park where he had left his rental car, he pulled out his cell phone and made a call.

A groggy voice picked up after two rings. ‘Mulder.’

“Agent Mulder, this is MacGyver. We met at the park earlier.”

“Yes, Scully’s friend.” There was a pause before the voice at the other end became anxious. “Did something happen? Is she hurt?”

“She’s fine. Better than fine. She’s an amazing woman, which is why I’m calling.”

“Look, Scully’s a big girl. She doesn’t need my permission to …”

“Stop being an ass.”

“What?”

“I don’t know what the deal is with you two, but there are unresolved issues between you. Get your head out of your ass, and work it out. Or let her go. But don’t leave things in limbo. She deserves better.”

“Sounds like a man talking from experience.”

“In my case, the timing was never right. What is your excuse?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Funny, she said the same. Uncomplicate it.” Mac snapped his cell phone closed and smiled. He didn’t know Mulder, but it sounded like he got the message. Pulling out into the light traffic, he sent a silent wish to Dana. _I’m sorry. I hope this makes up for some of the pain I caused._


End file.
